My Little History of Digital Compacts

My Little History of Digital Compacts

I will present here the first digital cameras, in a chronological way.
Cameras that many of you have probably never heard of and which nevertheless allowed us by dint of innovations, to have today the wonderful cameras that we cherish.

The history of the digital compact in North America begins very modestly with the arrival of a small camera, which goes almost unnoticed.

The Dycam model 1 (1991)

The First Consumer Digital Camera
The first you can actually buy!

Dycam Model 1 (1991)
104000 pixels (376x276)
One MB DRAM Internal, if the batteries run out, the photos are not retained.
Can store 32 photos (in TIFF or PICT format) on its internal memory.
256 gray level CCD
The First Consumer Digital Camera
$995.00 USD

To be continued

I don’t know about US inflation, but presumably about $1500 today! Quite astounding - I wonder what the original purchasers used the images for. I can’t get quite as excited about vintage digital electronics as I can about mechanical cameras (I have over 100 of them ) with the exception of the Psion 5. I still have one, but sadly it’s no longer working.

I paid my copy $3 USD in 2001 on eBay 😎
Today, unlike the Fotoman Plus, it is almost impossible in finding one.

It connects to a PC or a Macintosh and produces black-and-white photos
8-bit grayscale at 376 x 276 resolution

The Dycam model 1 (1991)
0.10MP (376x276 )

Here with a Compaq 5100 / 90 mhz (1995)

I finally got the Dycam 1 to work, 14 years after buying it in June 2001
By installing the fotoman software (Fotoware ftst199.cmv)
Proof that you should never despair :)

Photos of 0.10MP (376x276) very acceptable dimensions for the web in 1991

A photograph of the innards of the Dycam
It was necessary to disassemble the camera to be able to change the batteries

Dycam Camera Software for the IBM PC

This is one of my favorite cameras from my collection
I'm glad I found it and got it to work.

Here, just for fun. Two comparisons, one with the first DSLR, the Kodak DCS 100 (1991), and the other with my MF, the Pentax 645D

Kodak DCS 100 (1991) 100% / Dycam 1 (1991) 100%

The Kodak DCS 100 Pro (1991)
1.3MP (1280x1024) $25,000.00 USD

The Dycam model 1 (1991)
0.10MP (376x276 ) $995.00 USD

CROP 100%

             _________________________________

Dycam 1 (1991) 100% / Pentax 645D 100%

Dycam model 1 (1991)
0.10MP (376x276) $995.00 USD

Pentax 645D (2010)
40 MP (7264 x 5440) $9,400 USD

CROP 100%

FOTOMAN

Dycam subsequently licensed and shared its technology with Logitech to market and distribute under its own brand.

Which also enjoyed greater success under the name FOTOMAN.
The cameras were intended in particular for companies, real estate agencies, and insurance companies.

Logitech Fotoman (1992)
104000 sensor (376x284)
Storage: Internal DRAM
$799.00 USD

* See here, news on CNN: Future Watch at CNN 1-11-92
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQFHp7Qrf-g

interesting camera. im enjoying these posts

Thank you very much, and this is just the beginning 👍🏻

There are two versions of the Fotoman, one for Mac and the other PC

Maoby, what a fun look back at older camera tech! You've also found way to make use of them, with the included sample pictures to boot! :D

Few months back I got my hands on a Canon G12 PowerShot and this is inspiring me to keep adding other cameras to make a collection.

Keep the posts coming.

Dan

Thank you, I have developed this interest in digital since 1996 👍🏻

Not always easy to get communication between a Fotoman and a computer!!
To download photos, or simply change camera settings.

Here with a PowerBook G3 Series 233 mhz HD 2GB (1998)

The first Memory Cards did not appear on Compact cameras until 1995.

Dycam model 1,3,4

(model 2 never existed)

The very first steps of digital photography with Dycams
1991 Dycam Model 1, 104k pixel B&W photo (376x276)
1992 Dycam Model 3, B&W photo 178,500 pixels (496x365)
1993 Dycam Model 4, color photo 180,000 pixels (496x365)

Family photo

Dycam model 4 (1993)
180,000 sensor (496x365)
Storage: Internal DRAM
$795.00 USD

The Dycam 4 is the only one to take color photos, among the cameras (Fotoman/Dycam )

It is also the first real color digital camera "more or less for the general public".
Appeared, a year before the 1994 QuickTake 100 (which is often cited as the first consumer device) a half truth.

It can record up to 32 images of 496x365 in its Internal DRAM (volatile memory)

Here with the Compaq 5100 / 90 mhz (1995)

And finally a Fotoman more

Logitech Fotoman plus (1993)
150,000 sensor (496x360)
Storage: Internal DRAM
$695.00 USD

The best-selling camera of (Dycam/Fotoman)
And still easy to find!

Fotoman Box

It's 1994, and a certain QuickTake 100 is appearing

Surely the first digital camera, not to have gone unnoticed! 😃

The Apple QuickTake 100 (1994)
310,000 pixel sensor (640x480)
Storage: 1mb Internal
1° Consumer Digital Device (Color)

It can be called the first to be aimed at amateur photographers.

The QuickTake 100 was the result of a collaboration between Apple and Kodak

Very easy-to-use camera…
..a true Plug-in-Play 😎